2016 is a very important year for the British Rally Championship after the torrid 2014 and its absence in 2015. Last night I watched the 2002 season review and was reminded of just how brilliant the series was.
Part of this brilliance will undoubtedly be because of the nostalgic value the likes of 2002 have. These are the years in which I was growing up and was introduced to rallying, so names such as Jonny Milner (pictured above), Justin Dale, Tapio Laukkanen, Neil Wearden and of course Mark Higgins are part of the 'glory days' for me. Nostalgia aside though, the series was simply better back then that it has been over the last few years. Ever since the 4WD cars were banned in 2012, it has been less exciting simply because the cars were less so, and the seemingly only competitive car was the Citroen DS3 R3. Although a one make series has its benefits, such as being able to see who truly is the best driver as they are all in equal machinery, but I don't think a one make series makes a truly great championship. In my opinion a truly great championship is a full on competition: a variety of car classes, a variety of drivers from different nations and a variety of different rallies. 2002 had all that. 2013 only had one of those elements. The British series used to boast a catalogue of international star drivers. The series has been won by World Champions not only from Britain, but from further afield such as Ari Vatanen and Stig Blomqvist. It was regarded by many as the world's best national championship, but the fact it has not been run in 2015 most definitely suggests otherwise today. However, the 2016 championship does promise to be something special, but will it live up to the excellent reputation the previous years have constructed? Will the British series finally be established as the best ever? I certainly hope so, and the allowance of R5 machinery is a very encouraging starting point. The R5 category hits all three of the elements I believe create a truly great championship. Aside from these elements for a moment though, the variety of cars the class offers is immense, with M-Sport (Ford), Peugeot, Citroen and Skoda all offering R5 machinery. That's the same number of manufacturers that are currently competing in the World Championship! Element number one should be achieved, as the 2016 championship will not be exclusively for R5 cars. I think it is important to have a junior series alongside the main title battle, where rising stars can make a name for themselves in less powerful machinery. Kris Meeke made his name in a Ford Puma, and growing talent Chris Ingram did so in a Renault Twingo. The second element will hopefully be retained, as of late all the main title protagonists have come from the British Isles. Happily, the R5 category is ideal for welcoming foreigners into the British championship for one main reason: numerous foreigners drive them. The R5 cars are at the forefront of the European Rally Championship, and are the cars used in the main support series to the WRC; WRC2. They also feature in other national championships such as the one in Belgium. All this means if the British Rally Championship can get its PR spot on, drivers from all over the place may well be attracted to the series. If manufacturers could join the series and run two car teams all my Christmases will have come at once! Just imagine how great that would be! The mix of great rallies should be a given, but the future of the Jim Clark is a major factor here as is the absence of classics such as the Manx from the calendar. All in all, I think the 2016 British Rally Championship should re-establish the series as a whole, and will be more exciting to watch due to the more powerful cars and the variety of them. The recipe certainly tastes that way. I may be getting ahead of myself a little with the manufacturer teams like we had in the late '90s with Formula 2 kit cars, but fundamentally the switch to R5 opens the door to foreign competitors who may wish to hone their skills in Britain. What we really need is a promising provisional entry list if we want to welcome the Finns and co back into our championship. I'm excited for 2016! Let's hope I'm not let down. It would simply be fantastic if the lure of becoming British Rally Champion was strong again.
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BRITISH RALLYINGArticles covering rally in Britain, looking at the MSA BRC Archives
September 2017
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